Woman in labour collides head-on with bear on way to hospital

CTV Atlantic: Baby born after bear, truck collide After surviving a collision with a black bear on the way to the hospital, a Nova Scotia baby bears a special name.

A woman in labour escaped without injury after colliding with a black bear early Thursday morning.

Michelle Oliver was headed for the hospital in Kentville when the truck she was in smashed into the bear on Highway 101 near Greenwood.

“I kind of felt the impact and him slam on the brakes at the same time,” says Michelle. “I opened my eyes and there was the airbag smoke and a big body on the front of the truck.”

“I see it’s a pretty good-sized bear and at that point there was no stopping,” says her husband, Matthew.

With her contractions only five minutes apart, Michelle thought her baby would be born right on the side of the highway. Thankfully, Baby Morgan waited until they arrived at the hospital.

He was born 20 minutes later and now bears a very special name – Morgan Bear Oliver.

“Some people even suggested spelling it a little bit differently, like Bahr or something like that, but we figured it was a real bear so we might as well spell it like a bear,” says Michelle.

“He’ll remember this one for years to come,” says Matthew.

While the Bridgetown family escaped the crash without injury, it isn’t known what happened to the bear.

By the time emergency responders arrived the bear was nowhere to be seen. A wildlife technician with the Department of Natural Resources searched the area but failed to locate the animal.

The truck sustained significant damage in the crash, but Matthew says he’s just grateful his family is okay.

“It is unbelievable, you know, you’re going pretty quick down the highway and it’s a couple hundred pound animal,” he says. “When you have a look at the truck you wonder how you made it out.”

As for Baby Morgan, Michelle says he’s already living up to his name.

“He probably eats … as much as a bear already.”

With files from CTV Atlantic's Kayla Hounsell